Heating a Bearded Dragon Habitat

Bearded dragons come from the semi-arid, desert regions of Australia. Because of this, it is extremely important to mimic those conditions when keeping a bearded dragon as a pet.

Since the bearded dragon’s homeland is a hot, dry place with little humidity, their habitat must be as well. Supplying the correct amounts of heat is crucial for its health and well-being.

Fortunately, there are many companies that manufacture products that work well for sustaining proper heat levels. These include companies such as Zoo Med, Exo Terra, and ESU Reptile, among others. These companies produce heating items that are specifically designed for supply heat to reptiles.

Let’s go over the items you will need for properly heating a bearded dragon habitat.

Heat lamps are mostly used to create basking areas for the bearded dragon. Basking areas are where the bearded dragon will lay, or perch, during daytime hours in order to receive heat and ultraviolet rays just as it does in the wild.

The higher the wattage of the heat lamp, the greater amount of heat it produces. For example, a 100 watt bulb will produce more heat than a 60 watt bulb.

What wattage bulb you will need depends greatly on the size of the habitat. If you have a 125 gallon terrarium then you will need a higher wattage bulb than a 55 gallon terrarium in order to reach about the same temperature.

It may take some experimenting with different bulb wattages to find the one that works ideally for your particular habitat.

One of the best heat lamps to use for bearded dragons is the Exo Terra Sun-Glo Basking Tight Beam Bulb. This heat lamp is ideal for creating basking areas, and comes in wattages ranging from 50 watts (for small terrariums) to 150 watts (for very large terrariums).

A heat lamp may also be needed for keeping nighttime temperatures from dropping below 65 degrees F. There are many nighttime bulbs made to provide heat while creating subdued levels of light. This is important for not disturbing the bearded dragon’s sleep.

You can find them in dark blue, or red hues, and range from 15 watts to 75 watts. The Exo Terra Night Glo Reptile Bulb is a highly recommended nighttime bulb. The small amount of light these bulbs give off is invisible to bearded dragons. This is important because you do not want to use a daytime bulb at night because your pet will not be able to sleep properly.

Undertank Heat Pads

Undertank Heat Pads are a great way to supply a gentle heat from underneath the habitat. Heating pads have an adhesive side that sticks to the underneath of the terrarium and then plug into an electrical outlet.

This is ideal for warming the substrate and supplying a supplemental heat source, especially during cold winter months.

If a undertank heating pad is needed, the size you need will depend on the size of the terrarium. They come in sizes from 5 gallon tanks to 50 gallon tanks. If you have a very large tank, more than one heat pad may be needed.

Mercury Vapor Bulbs

Mercury vapor bulbs can be used to supply both heat and ultraviolet lighting. They contain two filaments – one that is an incandescent filament for producing heat and another mercury vapor arc tube for producing ultraviolet rays.

Mercury vapor bulbs are ideal for heating a large terrarium because they can produce quite a bit of heat. They are not recommended for small habitats because they can get hot enough to burn your bearded dragon.

Heat Tapes

Heat tape, or heat cables, can be used to heat certain areas of terrariums. The most common application is to wrap decor pieces with the tape to provide additional heat. Wrap the bearded dragon’s perch with the tape to supply additional heat while basking.

Heat tapes are only recommended when additional heat is needed. Avoid using heat tapes too much in the terrarium because it can cause overheating and burns.

Quick question . please answer if you can .
My beardie is about 3 months old.
I have recently transfered him from his 10gal glass tank to a 55gal glass tank. we bought the ZooMed heating pad for 55 gal tank but i’m curious if i need to use the red heating lamp that i have also?
I don’t want him to burn up too much . But i don’t want him to be too cold either.
How can i tell?
Main question is should i use both the heating pad and the heat lamp together?

Red heating lamps are pretty much only used for nighttime heating, and only if your tank gets below 65F. Also, a heat pad is not a suitable replacement for a heat lamp. I would highly recommend purchasing a 50w heat bulb, and place it about 1.5ft away from the floor of its cage. (On the top of the cage). Also, you asked how to tell if cold. There are three things to do: first, buy a thermometer to accurately check his cage temps. This is why you should not use a heat pad, as you cannot accurately tell how hot the dragon is when on it. Next, see if your lizard attempts to snuggle in corners, or warm himself on your body heat when handling it, this may be a sign it’s too cold. Finally, you may be able to (emphasis on may) tell if he is cold by looking at the coloration of his scales. (It may seem unconventional, but with my lizard, he gets a noticeably darker color when under heat, and becomes much lighter when cold. This may not work for all bearded dragons, but it worked for mine.) but just make sure to buy an actual light, because just a heat pad, or even a heat pad and red light, are not ideal for its living conditions.

Hi my friend brought a bearded dragon yesterday it has no heat lamp or mat hardly any bedding n no food I wrapped up a lukewarm hot water bottle and place loads of shredded newspaper to try give the animal a fighting chance but I don’t think he knows what to do about it it came with a tank and a little bedding in the travel cade which was too small for the animal

I just adopted a 2 year old beardie. At night time I use a heating pad underneath his tank – is this safe for them? I don’t want it to burn him or him be cold at night time… also I just brought him home a few days ago, he’s been sleeping for almost 2 days straight, not sure if he’s in brumation… but he’s been sleeping in the corner on the heated side (during day) but not directly above the heating pad (at night) so I don’t want him to get cold?